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WESTPORT, Conn. -- Over the busy upcoming Memorial Day holiday, the Westport Police Department will be actively participating with state and local law enforcement agencies in the national Click It or Ticket campaign.

The department said in an effort to promote safe driving and increased protection of all motorists, they will be vigorously enforcing the state’s seat belt as well as child restraint laws,and will be issuing citations to those who are not in compliance.

According to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives. In 2014, there were 9,385 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States.

Face the Facts

In 2014, nearly half of the passenger vehicle occupants who died in crashes were unrestrained.

Among young adults ages 18 to 34 killed in crashes, 57 percent were completely unrestrained—one of the highest percentages for all age groups.

In 2014, there were 602 children 12 and younger killed in motor vehicle crashes. Of those deaths, more than a third (34 percent) were unrestrained.

Men make up the majority of those killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. In 2013, about 65 percent of the 21,022 passenger vehicle occupants killed were men. So it comes as no surprise that they wear their seat belts at a lower rate than women do – 53 percent of men in fatal crashes were unrestrained, compared to 40 percent for women.